A Merry Little ExMas

"Are you not entertained!?!"

Released: 2025

Director: Steve Carr

Writer: Holly Hester

Stars: Alicia Silverstone, Oliver Hudson, Jameela Jamil, and Melissa Joan Hart as April

Watch it: Netflix

Holiday score: 7

This movie totally has more Christmas stuff than a Costco in August. It has snow, weird presents, sledding injuries, unrealistically good gingerbread houses, and even a countdown to Christmas to really ramp up your level of anxiety.

Romance score: 7

Alicia Silverstone still has “it” and Oliver Hudson is door enough to keep up with her. They make a totally cute couple that we want to end up together.

Comedy score: 6

The side characters bring enough laughs to totally call this movie a holi-rom-com, but it’s Chet who really steals the show

The Review

Today I am reviewing the totally bitchin’ movie A Merry Little Ex-Mas. To honour the queen of 90s slang, I’ll be sprinkling some choice phrases in my review. With Alicia Silverstone in the lead role, it feels like a blast from the past. Coincidentally, Blast from the Past is one of only three movies I have seen with Alicia Silverstone. I started to wonder if she had died or just found something better to do than acting. There are plenty of better careers than acting, like reviewing movies and making fun of the actors. Now that I say that out loud, I almost feel bad writing my reviews…almost. I say lots of worse things I should feel bad about, just you wait.  

A Merry Little Ex-Mas has all the elements we have come to expect from the Hallmark style of holi-rom-com. A big city girl moves to a small town, check. People doing a bunch of typical Christmasy stuff, check. Characters who need to remember how to love again, check. You might think this movie is just as bogus as every other holiday movie, but as-if. A Merry Little Ex-Mas takes the standard holi-rom-com tropes and adds a little booyah to make it totally fly.

Our protagonists are Kate, played by Alicia Silverstone, whose is still a total Betty and Everett, played by Oliver Hudson who is a total Baldwin. They met while they were in college in the big city and they fell in love. Everett becomes a doctor and Kate becomes an architect. When they finish school, Kate decides to follow Everett to his home town of Winterlight where he sets up practice as the town doctor. Unfortunately, Winterlight is so far away from any other place in the world that Kate can’t find a job as an architect, or maybe Kate is just clueless about architecture. Instead, Kate becomes the town handi-woman and environmental avenger. 

As the years go on, Kate and Everett grow apart and they decide to get a divorce. Actually, in the movie they say “consciously uncouple”. Wow, that’s a totally cool phrase…NOT! Um, 2014 called, they do NOT want their stupid phrase back. Who does this couple think they are, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin? As if! Every time they said “consciously uncoupling”, I got the creepy shivers like Gwyneth was standing behind me with a jade egg and a funky smelling candle.

So Kate and Everett want to "consciously uncouple” <shivers>, but they don’t want to make things weird for their kids who basically adults. They believe they can continue on as a family, just chillaxing like normal. But, plot twist, “consciously uncoupling” <double shivers> is messy. Plus, both of them have a secret they are hiding. Sorry, whats that? You all have a question? We’ll start with the guy wearing the ugly sweater that says, “it does not say “RSVP” on the Statue of Liberty?”, go ahead. Oh, you actually want to know their secrets? Well, no dice. I’m gonna let you find out on your own. Whao, whao, whao, stop buggin’, homie. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.

Will Kate’s and Everett’s secrets derail any hope they had at enjoying their holiday? Um, duh. Will there be a scene with the whole town having a party in their back yard? As if! It’s actually in their house. Will their kids turn out to be the bugginest bunch of Katos ever? Damn straight. Will Kate and Everett succeed in turning their consciously uncoupling <triple shiver> into a totally normal Christmas? Well, you’ll have to watch A Merry Little Ex-Mas to find out, and you totally should. Let’s get to the scores.

Holiday score: 7

This movie totally has all the Christmas stuff anyone could want, even for two completely ungrateful kids who treat their loving parents like their own personal Santa Claus. Yes I’m talking about the two brats in this movie. Dang, they made me grateful for my own only slightly bratty kids.

Seriously, the two kids in this movie are just terrible people. They bail on the one parent who is trying to do fun Christmas traditions like making ornaments, just because the other parent is showering them with gifts or whatever. Come on, what seven-year-old doesn’t love making Christmas ornaments. What’s that? Oh, right, the kids are nearly adults, um, OK, well thwt actually tracks. Whatever, they are still stupid, mean kids.

Romance score: 7

As mentioned, Alicia Silverstone is still a Betty and Oliver Hudson is a total Baldwin. The key is the two main characters are just good together. They have a cute history and inside jokes. Hopefully it reminds you of the inside jokes you have with your special someone.

But their relationship isn’t all fly. Sometimes they don’t get along. I mean, they are…consciously uncoupling <full-body shiver>, so we should expect some conflict. Otherwise the consciously uncoupling <shivers into a pool on the ground> is just a lame trope added to the movie for no reason. And we never see that in holi-rom-coms, right? Of course we don’t.

Anyway, I like Kate and Everett and I hoped throughout the movie that they would make it work, but for themselves and not for the lame kids. The kids don’t deserve them. I know it’s important to let kids know that they didn’t cause their parents divorce, but maybe in this situation, it might help them be better people. And who knows, maybe it was the kids fault they are separated. OK, that was offside. My sincere apologies to any children of divorce. You did not cause your parents to split up. It was Kate’s and Everett’s kid’s that caused your parents to get divorced. Oh stop being angry, they aren’t real people.

There is a reason that certain actors make it big in TV and movies. The good ones have that special something, that magic, that je ne sais quoi. This movie has a number of actors who have that special quality. Jameela Jamil plays her classic hoity-toity snob. Geoffry Owen and Derek McGrath do a great job of playing Everett’s two dads. Melissa Joan Hart has a lesser role, but there’s definitely some magic there. And, of course, Alicia Silverstone has that super cute quality with her scrunchy nose and weird noises.

But the one character that steals the show is Chet played by Pierson Fode. He is funny and sweet and the perfect side character in a movie like this. He was silly, but not a total ditz. He was funny, but also sweet. He added levity to scenes when the main characters need to be serious.

Conclusion

If want to see your classic Hallmark holi-rom-com with boring characters and picture-perfect kids that would never break up a marriage...you should probably look somewhere else.

If want a complete holi-rom-com with great side characters and a well-aged Alicia Silverstone...then you should watch A Merry Little Ex-Mas.